The Red String of Fate
by The Gleameyes808
Summary: Set after the Amane/Messiah route in the game, Kazuya Minegishi (Hero) is having serious doubts about his decision to leave the fate of mankind to the angels. Coupled with the appearance of a strange voice in his head and accidental bursts of his power, his life turns upside-down once again. Who'll catch him when he falls? A certain white-haired red-eyed bastard, that's who.
1. Chapter 1: The Year Before

**The Red String of Fate**

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since the manga of Shin Megami Tensei Devils Survivor 1 named the Hero as Kazuya Minegishi, I'll name him as such in this fanfic. Sorry for some OCCness in some of the characters but just chalk it up as the author's artistic license, okay? This fanfic is mainly Kazuya X Naoya with some non-con mixed in. The lemon parts will come a little later but they WILL come. The setting is after the game when you took Amane's path. I don't make any money making this fanfic and Shin Megami Tensei belongs to Atlus.

The first part of the fanfic is in the Main Character's POV.

**Prologue: The Year Before**

**Its been a year since the incident.**

A year since all of downtown Tokyo was locked down for seven days, with no electricity and any form of communication, leaving thousands of people without any contact with the outside world. A year since everyone within the Yamanote circle was left to the mercy of demons and the evil people that use them without any assistance from the government. A year since me and my friends summoned our first demons, became part of the Tokyo lockdown and survived.

What I didn't know back then is that things will never be the same again, for me and for everyone.

My name's Kazuya Minegishi, 18 years old, and for all intents and purposes, an ordinary high school student. But who I am and what I did was anything but. Tokyo has for most part returned back to normal and its people are now more resilient and grateful for having survived the ordeal. They're now more appreciative of the things they took for granted before. Ironic that "normal" life had to be obliterated in order for people to appreciate it. But for me, it'll never be normal again.

So let me reintroduce myself.

I am **Abel**, the Lost Child of God. The first human ever to be murdered and my brother Cain was the one who murdered me.

The crime of murder isn't new, even if it was committed by a family member. This sin has haunted the human race since time immemorial, and yet I'm still here, in this modern day and age. In truth, Abel's essence was scattered and resided in many people, as seeds of human potential. Most people live their lives not knowing that they have Abel's essence within them. However, I am the exception. The events that transpired during the lockdown and Abel's essence within me awoke my potential as the Lost Child.

So what exactly happened during the lockdown? By God, there were so many things that happened during those seven days it'd take hours just to explain it all. So I'll just tell you the important stuff, which is basically everything, hmm...I'll make it short.

I did mention demons before right? Well, these aren't the "personal demons" that everyone has. I mean literal demons, with fangs and claws and who knows what else. Well... I would know what else the demons are capable of. These demons started popping out all over Tokyo, causing chaos and destruction. And who would you guess to be in the middle of it? Yes, me and my friends Atsuro Kihara and Yuzu Tanigawa.

Why would we be there when we don't actually live in Tokyo? You see we were there to meet my cousin Naoya at Shibuya 901. This was weird in itself because he never showed up at all and had Yuzu deliver the modified Communication Players, COMPs for short, that he made to me and Atsuro, with the cryptic phrase "You'll all need these. Don't lose them." He can make stuff like that because he's a genius programmer. Atsuro, the self-proclaimed "Naoya's Number One apprentice", hacked the COMPs open and shortly afterward, we all received an email called a Laplace mail that's said to have the day's news only that the events recorded in the mail were at times advanced than the current time. The news within it was disturbing, like a man was to be killed 30 minutes from the current time in an apartment in Aoyama, his body shredded by a large carnivorous beast, an explosion near Aoyama cemetery, and a massive blackout that's going to affect the whole Tokyo Metropolitan area. It bothered all of us, especially Yuzu. She dismisses it as a prank but Atsuro says that Naoya may have meant for it to happen and says he's gonna go somewhere he could think to look at the other folders. Yuzu and I decided to leave too to kill some time as Atsuro looks more into the COMP. While walking around Shinjuku, we chanced upon a group of oddly-dressed people calling themselves the **Shomonkai**. They were preaching something about using the power of the Internet to unite the world and some kind of ordeal. We didn't stick around to hear more. After that we ended up in Omotesando and Yuzu was talking about wanting to fit in with the people here, but something about the email we received earlier still bothered me. I looked at my watch and noticed it was already 4:30 PM, thirty minutes after the murder in Aoyama was supposed to occur. Suddenly, several police cars zoomed down the road, their sirens wailing, all headed towards Aoyama. A sense of dread filled me as I remembered that Naoya lived in an apartment in Aoyama and I rushed over to Naoya's place, Yuzu trailing behind me. We found that his apartment was cordoned off by the police and some onlookers were gossiping that a young man was killed in the apartment. I was on the verge of panicking when suddenly...

"Is that you, Kazuya?", a familiar voice said.

I turned and saw my cousin. "Naoya...!"

"Thank goodness you're safe, Naoya!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"...The email you sent made us worry about you." I said.

"I see...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Naoya said. "...The person who was eaten was a student, like yourselves. He lived next door to me."

"He was eaten!? No way!" Yuzu gasped "Is what the email said really true!? But we got the email before the incident happened so... Kazuya, what does this all mean!?"

"Naoya... That mail, its as if it predicts the future." I mused out.

"Heh... normally you'd think that if I were to send an email like that, I'd be the one who actually caused the incident." Naoya chuckled. "Your unpredictability never ceases to amaze me. You truly are... my cousin."

"I understand why the two of you came here... but, our meeting here is an accident." Naoya continued. "We can't meet like this. Hurry and meet Atsuro immediately. It will all begin soon..." Then Naoya leaves.

We meet up with Atsuro who assuaged Yuzu's fears about what happened earlier. He also figured out that the COMPs we had were always monitoring each other so he can't crack one alone. So we all took out our COMPs and Atsuro started working on them. While waiting for Atsuro to finish, I look up and see someone who looks like Naoya. His handsome face is expressionless, but gives off a cold feeling...

"Okay, done! I'm restarting the COMPs!" Atsuro exclaimed.

.

.

.

Decryption Confirmed

.

.

.

Booting Program

.

.

.

...Condition Green

.

.

.

DEMON SUMMONING PROGRAM

ready to boot

.

.

.

Booting DEMON SUMMONING PROGRAM

.

.

.

**Peaceful Days are Over**

**Let's Survive**

...And that's how we summoned our first demons. They came out of the COMPs and we beat them but that first time was a shock and was plenty scary. When we beat them, they formed a contract with us, becoming our allies. Yuzu went into panic after that and demanded that we hand the COMPs over to the police since they're supposed to be the ones fighting these things. I disagreed. If we're going to hand them over to the police, we'll never see them again and we'll lose the only way we could fight these monsters. And Naoya said that we're gonna need these, why would he lie? Then I noticed numbers floating above me and my friends' heads. Most people passing by have a 7 while we had a 1... weird. After that we received an email from Naoya saying to meet someone in Aoyama cemetery that will influence our actions in the future and a system mail about Demon Tamers, because that's who we are now. We decided to head the cemetery rather than feeling scared and stupid, as Yuzu said.

At the cemetery, Yuzu started to be creeped out by the graves and inquired about this "person" Naoya wanted us to meet. Atsuro assured her, saying that Naoya would've said "someone" or "monster" if something other than human was to meet us. Suddenly, an explosion happened just like what the Laplace mail said then a high-level ice demon named Wendigo appeared. We couldn't escape because the exits were suddenly blocked by demons. We would've died right then if not for Amane, the Maiden of the Shomonkai. She took down Wendigo with just one attack and he escaped and Amane gave chase. We defeated the rest of the demons. We just discussing the close call we had when the metropolitan blackout happened just as was predicted. Amane came back and set up a barrier in the cemetery to protect us until the next morning.

By morning, we learned that cell lines were down, the trains of the Yamanote line weren't running, the SDF had barricaded all the train stations because there was a suspected "poisonous gas" leak and we were left with no food, no electricity, and no way out. Not to mention that Naoya informed us of the function of the Death Clock, which is a computation of the amount of days a person is left to live, based on the Laplace mail. Only I, the leader of our group could see it and I was reluctant to tell my friends what the Death Clock says for us. Atsuro figured it out though.

"...Its zero, isn't it?" Atsuro muttered dejectedly. "You said it was 1 yesterday."

"..." I lowered my head.

"H-hey, say something! Oh man... you're telling me that we're going to die today!?" Atsuro nervously exclaimed.

"N-no! I don't want to die!" Yuzu clutched her head in fear.

"Then lets raise the number." I announced brazenly.

"What?" Yuzu said.

"Ooh, I get what you mean, Kazuya!" Atsuro had stars in his eyes. "You mean we could prevent anything bad happening to us through the Laplace mail and by fighting with our demons, right?"

"Urgh, I'd rather we find a way home rather than deal with demons." Yuzu said unhappily, crossing her arms over her chest. "But I'll do what I can to survive!"

I smiled at my friends "Let's go."

From then on we did what we could to survive but we never did anything dishonorable. Fighting using our demons and the skills we cracked from them. Participating in the Devil Auction and fusing demons to make stronger ones. All the while we got stronger and stronger. We prevented our first "deaths" from Wendigo, then others' too. Thats how we met Keisuke, Midori, Haru, Gin, Kaido, Miss Mari, Honda, and Izuna. These people played various roles in guiding us in our days in the lockdown and sometimes allied with us to fight. And sometimes, we fought against them too, but I'm not proud of those times. We learned from Izuna that the lockdown was put up in order to prevent the demons from getting out of Tokyo and it quickly became apparent that we could not escape the lockdown short of exterminating all the demons or breaking out ourselves. Throughout those days, we learned of the existence of entities that are "Kings" among demons called **Bels**, and after Wendigo, it seemed that our deaths would be at the hands of these monsters. The first Bel we encountered was **Beldr **at the third day of the lockdown. Before Beldr's awakening we battled demons and demon worshipers, all claiming that Beldr was immortal. But through some hacking (courtesy of Atsuro) and some information wrangling we came to know of Beldr's one weakness: **Devil's Fuge**, more commonly known as mistletoe. After spending the whole day running around trying to get our hands on the Devil's Fuge, we braced ourselves to face Beldr at Aoyama Cemetery, knowing fully well that we could die there.

...Then all of it began to change.


	2. Chapter 2: Beldr

**CHAPTER 2**

Breathing hard as I stood over Beldr who had fallen to his knees, I clutched the simple cellphone strap that served as our only salvation. It took all that we had to battle this demon "King" as he slowly sapped our strength from afar with his Vampire Mist. I instucted my friends to go after his servants while I faced him alone. My knuckles were bruised and bloody from hitting him endless times with the tiny accesory.

"Ggh... Grrraaaaahhhh! You! Why do you have the devil's fuge!" Beldr gasped. Suddenly he raised his head in realization. "...! It can't be... Loki again...!

His agonized roars echoed thru the cemetery. "My power...! My power is being extracted!" He moaned piteously. "No...! You can't...! Gyaaaaaaahhhh...!"

Beldr suddenly dissolved into swirls of dark red energy. The energy surrounded me and entered my body. Strangely, this bizarre phenomenon did not cause me alarm or fear but the mysterious power within me felt almost familiar...

My friends were ecstatic at surviving this threat to our lives. But when we went back to the mysterious person who first told us of Beldr's weakness, we learned that things are not over. Now that we... I defeated Beldr and absorbed his power, I got myself embroiled in the war between the Kings of demons for the Throne of Bel. Whoever wins this war becomes Overlord and would have complete control of all demons. Aside from Beldr, there were four more Bels: Belial, Jezebel, Belzaboul and Belberith. The mysterious gigolo told us that we are to face Belial, the Holy Flame, in three days' time and to prepare ourselves for the battle to come.

Later that night...

"Kazu? Kazuya? Are you still awake?" Yuzu whispered behind me.

We were lying down side by side on cardboard mattresses over bare ground in Miyashita Park. I rolled over to face her. "...Yes?"

"Are you... alright?" She asked hesitatingly.

"I'm fine. Why?" I queried.

"In the fight in the graveyard today... it felt different, like you were going to leave us or something." She whispered. Then she brightened up and said: "Hahaha, what am I saying? Never mind, ok?"

I smiled gently at her. "I won't change."

...It was a lie. I did change, Yuzu. I wish that I could take back what felt like a promise I made to her. A promise that I could not keep. Those seven days may be short compared to a lifetime, compared to an eternity, but they have changed who I am, what I am...

The memories of the year before flashed through my mind's eye as I gazed down upon the recovering metropolis. The city of Tokyo is full of lights and the sound of construction. There are still some areas devoid of light but the rebuilding is inching gradually into the more damaged areas. I sighed sadly as I delved into more recent memories. The night wind rustled the pure-white cloak around my shoulders. Nobody noticed the silent watcher cloaked in white sitting on top of Tokyo Tower.


	3. Chapter 3: Straining Connections

**CHAPTER 3**

A week ago...

"Heeeyyy guys! Guess what I have!" Yuzu bounded happily towards Atsuro and I. It was morning at our high school. It was the last few days before the end of the term... and the end of our secondary education.

"What is it, Yoohoo?" Atsuro took a bite.

Yuzu whipped something out of her bag in a flourish. "Tadaaaaa! Front-row tickets for Haru's concert at Bugeikan a week from now!"

"Oh wow, Haru's finally gonna have a concert fit for the Big Dome? Good for her!" Atsuro exclaimed.

"That's great news." I grinned, genuinely glad at the singer's success.

"Yeah, Haru's so great isn't she? She sent three tickets for each of us! Here, one for you, Atsuro, and one for you, Kazuya."

"Hey, thanks! The date... it's just before graduation! We could take it as the last hurrah of our high school lives!" Atsuro said excitedly. Then his face fell momentarily. I was brought short by the expression on his face but he brought back his goofy grin so fast that I almost thought it was my imagination.

"..." I said nothing as I stared at my best friend who suddenly can't seem to meet my eyes.

"Earth to Kazu! Uhm, as I was saying, we should give Haru something to commemorate her first major concert! Guys, do you have any ideas?" Yuzu pressed on, unmindful of the change in the atmosphere.

"Oh, how about a bouquet of flowers and chocolate?" Atsuro offered, still not meeting my gaze.

"No, no, I was thinking something more lasting, something she could remember us by." Yuzu knowingly replied.

"Well, with all that happened, I doubt she could ever forget about us, Yuzu." I said testily, slightly annoyed with my best friend's behavior.

Both of them stiffened slightly and then continued as if I didn't mention what happened a year ago.

"Ah... ahaha, you're right, Kazu. Well then, how about..." Yuzu tried to gloss over the sticky situation but I had tuned them out, suddenly feeling sullen.

It had been like this for the past year. Ever since the incident ended, both of my friends chose to act like the whole thing never happened. Not that I don't blame them, I admit that talking about what transpired in the lockdown isn't the easiest thing to do. And for a while, I was glad because their attitude helped me cope with how I felt at the end of the lockdown. To cope with how **inhuman **I felt after it... But at this rate, I would never come to terms with who I've become, what I've become. I am Abel, but I am also Kazuya. Am I human...? Or have I truly become a demon? For now, I don't have the answers to my existential woes but I recognize that one of my friends seems to have troubles of his own.

Just then the bell for first class rang and Yuzu broke her tirade to take her seat. I nudged Atsuro to get his attention.

"Let's talk later." I whispered while glancing meaningfully at him. He hesitated then nodded solemnly.

*Now I'm worried.* I thought. *Atsuro's the one who usually stays upbeat in any situation.*

With high school graduation coming and all, I get why people are nervous about the future and the changes it could bring. But Atsuro, Yuzu and I have decided to go to the same university so at least our being together wouldn't change. So the reason Atsuro's trepidation with our graduation and can't meet me eye-to-eye is if something had changed... No, I'll ask him when we get the time.

The teacher entered and started talking about the last-minute preparations for the graduation and career orientations. I listened with half an ear. My grades were good enough to get into any university but my friends and I have decided to apply for the local one. Blame it on the lockdown but I just want to sink into quiet, peaceful obscurity and try not to engage in anything flashy ever again. Thank God, my friends had the same idea too... At least I think they do. Damn it, I'll make sure to ask Atsuro what's bugging him the first time I get. Though, what I'm not sure of is what course I'd take when I do get to college. Probably something related to mythology or so... I'd be happy if I find myself a job that has me surrounded by shelves upon shelves of dusty books, chilling in a corner with my mp3 player. I smile at the thought, my eyes alighting on the curiously-shaped headphones on my desk. Suddenly a vision of intense red eyes, long silver hair and a slightly sinister smirk assaulted my senses. I snap out of my thoughts just when the teacher signified the end of his lecture and the cue for us to stand.

Everyone stood and put their right fist above their heart.

"For the glory of God." They all chanted. I grit my teeth and grudgingly echoed their words.

Ever since order was established by the angels, every person had to make this stance in place of greetings and farewells. This was strictly enforced on the humans. Most people around me have never seen an angel because they take the form of ordinary people, but they all know they're watching and they comply out of fear. Once in a while the angels televise their judgement of people they have caught wrongdoing. Watching this is mandatory in order to remind humans of their "mistake" and to remind them to comply with their rule... or else. Most of their judgement s end with the person being sent to the demons to be eaten. There was one memorable time when a man pleaded and begged for mercy and said that he was just trying to feed his family. He was judged guilty and we all watched while he was devoured by a pack of Garm Hellhounds until nothing was left but bloodstains. I had appealed to the angels to be more lenient in their judgement. But they just said that I could always come back and judge in their place.

I sat back down and lowered my head, my hands forming fists on the table. I trusted them to do their judgements fairly but now they're doing the same thing like what Keisuke did with Yama! It was better at first because the people they judged were truly scum but now they don't give people second chances! If I had remained with them, would things be better then? Or will I just be a puppet, forced to judge in their stead? I had noticed that Amane and Remiel were absent in their recent telecasts. What had they done to them? Are they for or against what the angels are doing?

"Kazu...?" Yuzu called worriedly but I hardly heard her over the dark thoughts forming in my head.

*If I hadn't chose this path...* But I **had **chosen it. Now I had to deal with consequences that I never thought would come to be! I just wanted to help people. That's why I chose to become a messiah. To take within me the god-like power of Bel and then forsake it and serve for the good of the humans. But I could not truly forsake my own humanity. So after I banished most of the demons to the demon realm then handed over control of the remaining ones to the angels, I requested to return to my old life, to live normally until the end of this lifetime. Most of the angels did not agree but Remiel just smiled and convinced the other angels that I've done enough and that I should be allowed to decide what I wanted in this life. I turned to Amane to ask her if she wanted to come with us and try living normally for once but she shook her head saying that this is the only way she knew how to live and with me gone, she'll provide the human aspect to the rule of the angels. We said farewell and parted ways after that. Now I do not know what became of them and everything is changing. Even my friends feel so far away. I was struck with the overwhelming urge to know what they were thinking and my control broke, some of my power reached out and brought me the thoughts of my two closest friends.

*Man, Kazu looks out of sorts. I wonder how I'll break the news that my parents want me to come with them abroad and study at Silicon Valley. I know I promised to go to the same university with him but this opportunity is too good to pass up. And I'll be studying at the best place there is for I.T. ...*

_Atsuro..._

_*_I'm so worried about Kazu, he's... we're still not over with what happened during the lockdown and I doubt we'll get over it soon. But I have to tell him that my mom wants to move us out of town to try living with my dad another chance. They were both there to meet me after the lockdown and vowed to patch things up together so that we'll be a family again. And I want to give them this chance...*

_Yuzu..._

**They're leaving.**

My eyes glowed red and the classroom's windows shattered.


	4. Chapter 4: Voices in my Head

**CHAPTER 4**

_Atsuro and Yuzu were walking away... their backs facing me. I started walking in their direction, moving faster and faster until I was in a flat-out sprint but I can't reach them no matter how fast I run. They're going farther and farther away..._

"_Hey, guys, where are you going?" I shouted at them. But they didn't spare a glance behind and continued walking._

"_Don't... don't go!" I shouted desperately, running with all my might. Suddenly, a flutter of silver hair and a swish of a black-green kimono caught the edge of my vision and I turned, distracted._

_Tall, shoulder-length silver hair and red eyes the color of blood, my cousin Naoya regarded me with his sharp gaze. My heart skipped a beat as his mouth quirked the way it always did when he's about test my power with challenges I somehow pass. He starts moving in the opposite direction of my friends'. I glance at the direction of my friends' retreating backs only to find that I could no longer see them. I turned and ran in the opposite direction instead._

"_Naoya!" I panted, hoping that he hears me. "Naoya!"_

_I ran harder and finally saw that I was getting closer to him. I reached out, about to clutch the back clad in black-green fabric._

"_**Brother!**"_

My eyes snapped open.

"Oh! You're awake, Kazuya!" I hear the voice of Yuzu somewhere to my left. Her face suddenly loomed on top me. "We were so worried! And that freak wind blew out the windows too!"

"...We're glad you're safe, Kazu." Atsuro stood next to Yuzu at my bedside. I realize that I am on a bed in the nurse's office.

"Classes are over now. We had to use an unused classroom to continue classes because of the glass shards scattered in our room. The teachers decided that we won't be using the room for a while. We'll be doing practices for the graduation ceremony for the next few days." Yuzu gushed.

I sat up on the bed. So, they dismissed the breaking of the classroom windows as an accident caused by a freak wind. I feel relieved that no one connected my weird actions earlier to this incident but at the same time mortified that I had lost control and may have put innocent lives at risk.

"...There's something I have to tell you." I said solemnly. "Is the nurse here?"

They shook their heads. Yuzu sat nearer beside me on the bed and Atsuro sat at the foot of the bed.

"Guys... I may have caused the accident earlier." I admitted.

"What!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"...I thought as much." Atsuro muttered. I glanced at him. His head was bowed and his hat shadowed his eyes.

"Why would you think that, Atsuro?! And what happened, Kazu?!" Yuzu demanded.

"...I lost control, Yuzu. I..." I avoided her gaze. "I saw what was on your minds."

"Oh..." Both of them fell silent.

"Then there's no need to tell you what our parents offered us for the future, Kazuya." Atsuro stood.

"Atsuro..." Yuzu said worriedly.

So they have talked about this beforehand. Judging from Atsuro's actions earlier, he was to break the news to me when I told him that I wanted to talk.

Atsuro breathed in and sighed. "What you should know, Kazu, that even if Yuzu and I were to go someplace else, what we had will never change. We may never be the same after the Tokyo Lockdown..." I quirked up, eyes wide when Atsuro finally acknowledged what happened in the past year. "...especially you. But I want you to know that friendship tested by demons, tamers, countless battles, and the end of the world won't be shaken so easily." Atsuro smirked at my wide-eyed expression.

"Yeah! We'll always be with you, Kazu! In spirit! ...Wait, that's creepy. In Internet!" Yuzu proclaimed.

I cracked up. Atsuro and Yuzu guffawed with me as well. How could I ever think that they were leaving me behind and never coming back? They were my friends. We bore the weight of the world on our shoulders and came out on top. Sure we were scarred by the battles that made us different than who we were before. But we **survived **with our friendship intact and even deeper as a result.

I stopped laughing and asked them the question I've always been scared of voicing out. "Are you guys... afraid of me now?" I said softly.

They looked at each other then answered at the same time. "No."

"You will always be Kazu to us. Abel, human, demon, whatever, you're our friend, Kazuya Minegishi. That's how you'll remain to us." Atsuro said resolutely and Yuzu nodded vigorously.

I smiled genuinely at them. Yuzu hugged me and I reached out my fist to Atsuro. Our fists met as the bonds between us three strengthened to unbreakable.

"Thanks guys..."

I glanced at my cat-ear headphones on the bedside table. *Naoya, if only were here with me too.* I thought. Despite all his ulterior motives, he was to one who taught us all he could to survive the lockdown. He stayed away to let me choose the path I would take. And even if he was disappointed that I chose a path opposite to what he wanted and fought me for it... I do not blame him. He had waited thousands of years for his chance to strike back. He was a constant in my life, even if he ended my first one.

Suddenly, a being with pure white wings appeared in front of my bed. Atsuro and Yuzu jumped to their feet and aimed hard gazes at the angel. I narrowed my eyes at the emissary of God.

"Kazuya Minegishi. You were detected to have used your power earlier and caused a mishap among the humans." The angel intoned.

"Yes, I am aware of that." I answered testily.

"You are to be escorted to the Sanctum and to seek audience with Metatron." The angel said monotonously.

I pursed my lips at the order. "Tell Metatron that I will take care of it and it will not happen again. There is no need for me to seek audience with him."

The angel seemed to glare at me. "Kazuya Minegishi. Are you undermining the authority of the angels?"

"No, I'm just telling you that I can handle it myself without the help of you angels." I said, glaring back at Metatron's subordinate.

"Very well. I will relay your message to him. Be sure to keep your powers in check, Kazuya Minegishi." *...or else* The angel's glare seemed to say. Then the angel started to glow. It's about to leave. Something occurred to me just then.

"Wait! Where are Amane and Remiel? What have you done with them?!" I shouted at the being.

The angel smirked. "You are not privy to that information... Abel." And then the angel disappeared in a flash of light.

I grit my teeth in anger. Here I am being treated like a ticking time-bomb by the same beings I entrusted to take care of the humans. Worse still, they're not telling me whereabouts of Amane and Remiel, the only angel I consider a friend.

"_Goddamn angels... If only I had listened to Naoya..._" A voice echoed in my mind.

I stiffened in shock. *That voice!* The voice that haunted my dreams. The dreams wherein my subconscious relives the executions done by the angels... Each and every time, that voice reminds me that I could have stopped it, if only I released my power, if only I had chosen a different path... But it, the voice, is only heard in my dreams. Now its part of my consciousness too?

"Kazuya, are you alright?" Yuzu voice sounded anxious.

"Its nothing, just a voice in my head, telling me what to do." I dismissed the issue with a wave of my hand.

"Haha, don't we all? Still, the angels are so self-righteous. What they're doing is wrong." Atsuro said darkly.

"_Heeh, this one has potential. A friend indeed!_" The voice said approvingly.

*Shut up.* I thought, rubbing my forehead.

"Uh, Atsuro, saying such strong statements is..." Yuzu said anxiously. "But you're right, I agree. Kazu, don't worry about Amane and Remiel. I'm sure they're fine. Amane's strong and Remiel's one of them, right? They can't possibly hurt one of their own."

"I hope you're right, Yuzu." I sighed solemnly.

"_You can't possibly be that naïve, could you?_" The voice said snidely. I frowned deeper, clutching my head.

"Kazu, are you really ok?" Yuzu again asked.

"Yuzu, I'll be fine. I'll just lock my power up deep inside me so that it won't come out so easily." I smiled at her then closed my eyes, concentrating.

The reason my control slipped is because of what was happening with the angels, not knowing what happened the two friends I left in their hands, and the worry that my friends won't accept who I am anymore. Coupled with the knowledge that my closest friends might be going away for good, my emotions got the better of me and resulted in a surge of power. Now I realize that me and my friends aren't joined at the hip but we have bonds of friendship that are nigh unshakable. That wherever they go, they're always with me, and that whoever or whatever I am, I'll still be their friend. This solves just one of the three problems but I can work with that. I went deep into my mind, into the garden of my soul. I walked past the beautiful lake, the teeming fruit trees and the meadow filled with flowers to the place in my mind that should always be locked up. As I stood in front of the large, intricate gate that kept the Throne of Bel at bay I noticed that it was wearing down, rusting and crumbling bit by bit. I sighed wearily then prepared to strengthen the divide that separated the rest of my soul from the power of Bel. Suddenly, a pair of wide red eyes appeared staring at me behind the gate, matching mine in height.

"_Hoooh, so you've come to lock me up again, haven't you, Kazuya?_" The same voice that tormented me echoed behind the gate.

"...Shut up. I'm doing this for everyone's good." I spat out, concentrating.

"_Is that what you truly believe? Or are you just deluding yourself? You have the power to right the wrongs that are happening now._" The voice called out temptingly.

"..." I said nothing, gathering the will to reinforce the mental shield.

The voice suddenly changed. It sounded... like me. " 'If I hadn't chose this path... If had done things differently...' ..._Don't deny these thoughts, Kazuya Minegishi. They are yours. You regret your decision. But you are the only one capable of making things right._"

"SHUT UP!" I yelled, letting out power to the gate. It instantly stopped deteriorating and like a video set on rewind, it recovered the parts that had rusted and crumbled away. "Stop pretending to be me! Don't ever sound like me again! You are not me! I don't know you!"

The red eyes glowed and seemed to smile sinisterly at me. "_Oh, but you do, Kazuya. And you'll know who I am soon enough..._" The voice faded as the gate stopped fixing itself, looking good as new. I breathed heavily, exhausted from the mental effort. I turned and broke the trance I put my physical body into, making my astral form in the soul garden disappear. What I didn't notice was that as soon as I disappeared, the voice with red eyes appeared behind the gate once again. Inspecting the gate, it came across a tiny rusted patch that had escaped the reinforcement. It laughed as it poured energy onto the small decaying portion, making the crumbling of the gate even faster.


	5. Chapter 5: The Concert

**CHAPTER 5**

"Woohoo! To Haru's concert we go! I'm soooo excited!" Yuzu gushed boisterously.

"Yeah, so am I, Yuzu! The last hurrah before graduation! Let's party all night, hehe!" Atsuro answered excitedly.

"Un!" I smiled and gave my friends the thumbs up.

We were gathered in front of the Bugeikan. People were milling around, waiting for the cue to enter the big dome, and by the looks of things it'll be a huge crowd. Still, I could not stop myself from studying the dark corners of the courtyard. Just how many times were we forced to fight for our lives in this place...?

Atsuro noticed my trepidation. "Its the first time we've been to Tokyo since the lockdown, hasn't it, Kazu? Heh, I remember all the times we had to fight right here. Heck, we had to fend off demons that were attacking Haru right at those steps. Kinda surreal, don't you think?"

"You said it, man." I wholeheartedly agreed.

"But are you alright, man? You were a little out of it during our trip here." Atsuro said with concern.

"Yeah, just tired from the lack of sleep is all." Atsuro nodded, convinced. But the truth is, I haven't had any decent sleep for days now. My nightmares have been getting worse lately. And though there is a marked absence of the voice in them, the images were getting more and more vivid. They always end with the look of terror and agony on the person's face when the angels set the demons loose on them. Then the dream suddenly shifts with me looking out onto a field with a bunch of sheep grazing, sitting beside someone I felt that I trusted completely. He was saying something and I turned to reply when I felt something stab into me, right into my heart. It withdrew and stabbed me again. I felt warm, metallic liquid flood my mouth and trickle down my chin. But I felt cold despite the pain as I looked up to the person I loved leaning over me with my blood decorating his blade.

"Oh! There's the signal to start entering! Let's go guys!" Yuzu said, breaking me from my revelry.

We entered the dome. The place was starting to get packed with people. Haru shot to fame after the lockdown but she was one of the precious few musicians that the angels had allowed to practice their trade that weren't all about singing praises for God. The rest were forced to disband or go into hiding after the angels went into a crackdown for any dissidents that went against them. Even TV and radio announcers were not spared from the onslaught. I was not informed that this happened until it was too late. At least it was said that they were just put on house arrest. But considering that Amane and Remiel haven't contacted me about this going down, I wonder how much of this was true. Again, I was filled with worry for those two friends I left behind. Maybe I'll go and have a word with Metatron while I'm here in Tokyo...

Members of the resurrected band D-Va all trooped to the stage and adjusted their instruments. Haru was the last who walked in amid thunderous calls and cheering. She wore a dress that resembled her usual outfit but it was in black and she wore stockings and arm-length gloves in the color red. The inverted cross still dangled from her front and a collar was still strapped around her neck. She looked positively like an unholy goddess that I'm surprised that the angels haven't descended on the concert and crashed the party. I realize that this is her way of showing her rebellion to the rule of the angels. Many of her contemporaries' careers suffered under the angels. I notice Gin standing at the shadows backstage. He raised his hand in greeting when he saw that I've noticed him. He's here of course for Haru's first major concert but also to watch over and protect her if anything goes wrong.

"Good evening to you all! This is the band D-Va!" Haru opened and introduced the band members. The cheering and chanting increased. I was buoyed by the sea of emotions running through the crowd. I grinned excitedly at my friends who grinned back. "I'm Haru. Let's get this party started!"

The rest of the night dissolved into octane-fueled dancing and head-banging to great music. Yuzu was right, Haru is a great singer. Why I wasn't so enthusiastic about her when I first heard her singing, I don't know. But she's gone a long way from being the depressed, suicidal person she was during the lockdown. Showing up in her black-red outfit and singing songs bordering on the darker side of life was proof that she now stood on solid ground and what she really thinks about what's going on.

"This's been a great crowd, guys! But now its time for the last song. This is dedicated to the people who we lost in the lockdown..." The atmosphere suddenly became solemn. Hardly anyone talks about the incident, but its fresh in everyone's minds. "...And the people who survived." Haru glanced at me and my friends then she started singing.

_~Inside of the darkness of the heart~_

_~In the seemingly imitative town~  
_

_~Although the lie has been seen through,~  
_

_~I still cling to those affectionate words~_

_~The world reflects in gray~  
_

_~It passes fleetingly~  
_

_~**Just feeling despair**~  
_

_~Destroy the distorted mirage~  
_

_~**Delete all of the world to do over again**~_

I closed my eyes while listening to the song. The emotions of the people around me seem to resonate with it. Instinctively I realize that this is Aya's song, the last song Haru's friend and mentor gave to her before disappearing and was lost to this day. Everyone here had lost something, somebody they knew and loved in the lockdown... and people were still suffering even after it. Anger, resentment, sadness... and hope, all these thoughts desires swirled around me and through me. Unthinkingly, I gave myself to the melody and the rising pitch of emotions, drowning in the sentiments of the people.

**..._Delete all of the world to do over again..._**

"Whoa! Where'd these sparks come from?" An unfamiliar voice shouted behind me.

"Duuude, its like yellow lightning! Its coming from that dude with the weird headphones over at front row!" Another punk shouted in wonder.

I snapped my eyes open. *Huh...? What?* I looked around me and sure enough, people were staring at the arches of bright energy crisscrossing above them and they seem to come from the middle of the front row, where I was. I stood there, stunned as I raised my hands and looked at them. They were glowing with a red light. Somehow, I was the one causing this. I shot a panicked look at my friends. They were staring at me in shock.

"You idiot, its the light show for the last song we're looking at!" Another voice argued back.

"Oh, really?! Awesome effects, man!" The other people seemed to agree and the cheering got louder.

_Crack! Crackle! Krrrck... _The vestiges of my power look and sound like bolts of lightning racing from the top of the dome to just above the heads of the people. I hurriedly tried to cut the feeling of connection with the thoughts of the massive amount of people around me. Haru never faltered in her singing and acted like this was all part of the show. I stole a look at the stage and saw that Gin had stepped more out of the shadows, looking at Haru. Haru gave a little shake of her head, signalling that he doesn't need to come out and pointed overhead. Gin gave a nod and hurried backstage. I finally managed to cut the flow of my power as Haru sang the last note of her song. Suddenly, everything was plunged in total darkness as the lights were cut all around the concert hall.

"Come to the backstage with me, Kazuya, Atsuro, Yuzu." The voice of Gin called out softly from our left. We exited amid the thunderous cheers and calls of the unknowing audience.

* * *

A/N: Review review, guys! Reviews come a long way in helping me continue this fanfic. Who knows, I might even update faster if I get enough. Five reviews until the next chapter! :-)


	6. Chapter 6: Haru

**CHAPTER 6**

One by one, the band members of D-Va left after congratulating each other for a job well done. Haru said she wanted to stay for while and have a chat with some very special friends. Atsuro, Yuzu and I sat in silence on the couch of the waiting room backstage. Gin sat on the chair beside us. Haru took her seat on the couch opposite us. I waited nervously to know what trouble am I in from the incident earlier. Then what Haru said next totally surprised me.

"Its nice to see you guys again." Haru smiled warmly and all the tension in the room evaporated instantly. Gin grinned cheekily at the stunned expressions on our faces when we saw that we weren't about to be scolded for that little light-show.

"A-ah! Its great meeting you again, Haru! Congratulations on your first major concert!" Yuzu said giddily.

"Yeah, congrats." Atsuro said in turn. I nodded and smiled at the lead singer.

"And about that little extra surprise at the end of it...?" Haru asked with a small chuckle.

"That's- well, that was completely accidental. Haha, wasn't it, Kazu?" Yuzu fidgeted nervously as I avoided Haru's gaze.

"...Sorry. You got into some trouble because of me." I bowed my head in apology.

"Its alright, there's no harm done. Good thing nobody noticed anything strange going on. We can count ourselves as lucky in that aspect." Gin dismissed airily.

"Yeah, smart move, Haru, taking it all in stride and acting like nothing was wrong." Atsuro said in an impressed voice. I looked at the singer and inclined my head again in gratitude.

"It was nothing. I did it for my friends." Haru eyed me carefully. "Now, do you guys mind if I can borrow Kazuya for a moment? It won't take long."

"Oh... okay. Sure." Yuzu said a little anxiously. Haru stood up and beckoned me to follow her to the dark corridor outside the waiting room.

When the door closed behind us, she suddenly leaned forward and stopped just centimeters from my chest.

"Wha-" I let out a surprised sound from our sudden proximity.

"As I thought, your scent has become more dangerous, Kazuya." Haru whispered.

"..." I said nothing as I looked into the singer's golden eyes. Haru smiled sadly.

"...Unfortunately, that also means trouble for you. Especially with our 'guardians'."

"...Yeah, I get that." I sighed wearily.

"I know this is ironic coming from me but things will work out one way or the other, Kazuya. I believe it will." Haru stated sincerely.

"Thanks, Haru... Oh yeah, this is for you." I reached into my pocket and pulled out the gifts we had planned to give to Haru. Both Atsuro and I wanted Yuzu to be the one to give them to her since she's been Haru's fan the longest. But she let me hold on to them on the ride towards the concert. I handed them to the diva.

"Its not much but we wanted to give you something you can carry with you all the time. To remind you of us. Not that you're forgetful or anything." I grinned cockily.

"Thank you, Kazuya. They're pretty." Haru chuckled and looked at her gifts. One of them was a cellphone strap with the likeness of Jack Frost. I know Jack Frost's a demon and we encountered its freezing attacks in endless skirmishes but no one could deny that Jack Frost _is_ cute. Someone also noticed this and started selling trinkets in the shape of the lovable demon- on the down low in case the angels go after him as well. The other one is a simple friendship bracelet. It was a weave of red, yellow and black that suited the singer in her ensemble.

Haru stared at the bracelet longer. "You... made this, didn't you, Kazuya?"

"...Hai." I replied carefully, gauging her reaction.

"Out of all the people I've met, you're the one who values his friends the lead not because you wanted to, but because you were meant to lead people, Kazuya. And you lead by example, just like all the times your friends turned to you to decide what to do in the lockdown." Haru said solemnly. "You inspire loyalty, Kazuya. This is your biggest power of all... and this is part of the reason I am drawn to you."

I stood there motionless as I processed the singer's words. I blushed a little when I realized that the beautiful rockstar in front of me just admitted to being attracted to yours truly.

"Haha, its not like that Kazuya." Haru chuckled gamely. "Truth be told, I was drawn to you ever since I first met you in the lockdown. But it wasn't because I saw a potential lover in you, like I first thought... No, it was like a subliminal message, like we're the same... deep down."

I looked into the singer's eyes and it was like a shock went through my body. I never gave it much thought on why we keep encountering each other in the lockdown and why she divulged things about herself to me that she hadn't told anyone else before. Now that I know the truth about myself and my past life, I finally understand. As I looked into the windows of Haru's soul, I saw a kindred spirit... and untapped human potential. Haru bears the essence of Abel too. Seeing one of my own and in such close proximity, I can't help but feel that it is the hand of fate that guided us here.

"But Kazuya, I feel that you are suppressing something... An aspect of yourself you don't want to see." Haru continued.

"Its not that easy, Haru, trying to hang on to my humanity despite all that's happened. I wanted to stay human even though it seems I've become something else." I brought to mind the recent incidents caused by the accidental bursts of my power. Haru seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Kazu, your powers are a part of yourself. You may have the power of the King of demons but how you'll use it is up to you... and I believe you'll do the right thing." Haru stated with conviction.

I turned and sat heavily on the bench just beside the door of the waiting room. I threaded my fingers and lowered my head in thought. *How could anyone expect me to do the right thing when it was because of my decision that we ended up in this situation? The angels promised me everlasting peace and a paradise for all mankind! If I had known this would happen...*

"_I should've listened to Naoya." _The voice echoed softly.

I stiffened. *Its back!* I was immediately filled with anguish at the too-soon appearance of the tormentor inside my head. *Why?! This can't be happening! The seal I put on the gate should've been strong enough!*

Thankfully, Haru didn't notice my sudden tenseness. "Go home, Kazuya." She smiled. "A little rest would do you some good."

I hesitated then sighed. "You might be right, Haru." I raised my hand to absently rub at my forehead which had begun to ache dully. "We'll be going then."

"Good. Gin and I will escort you guys to the entrance."

Haru was as good as her word and a few minutes later we were all saying our goodbyes in front of the Bugeikan.

"You guys take care on your way back home!" Haru called out to us while she and Gin raised their hands in farewell. Atsuro and I did the same.

"Bye Haru! Bye Gin! It was a great concert, you guys!" Yuzu waved goodbye to the pair. Then we parted ways. We all had smiles on our faces. Smiles that were happy, and also a bit sad. But one thing was for sure...

They were full of **hope**.


End file.
